The political party Sumar expressed its rejection in recent days of an increase in the military budget, although it showed interest in investments in defense to guarantee the security, deterrence, and strategic autonomy of Brussels. The PSOE has defended the need for Spain to have defense capabilities, without falling into the dichotomy of 'tanks or butter' posed by its more critical leftist partners regarding military matters. Patxi López, parliamentary spokesman for the PSOE, announced that they will support the majority of Sumar’s points.
In contrast, Yolanda Díaz assured that they will vote against an initiative from the PP, mainly for political reasons. Meanwhile, the PP urges the Government to express its support for Ukraine through a non-legislative proposal, in addition to questioning the increase in defense spending. For his part, the BNG deputy, Néstor Rego, believes that more military spending does not guarantee more security, but rather increases polarization and the risk of armed conflicts.
Esther Peña, spokeswoman for the PSOE, highlighted the importance of increasing defense spending, backed by CIS data reflecting majority support from Spaniards for this measure. Miguel Tellado, spokesman for the PP in Congress, criticized the Government's lack of response in the current international context. On another front, the BNG is proposing a motion for the chamber to express its opinion on rearmament in Spain and Europe, proposing leaving NATO.
The division in the coalition government is exacerbated due to Pedro Sánchez's commitments regarding increasing defense spending and the goal of 2% of GDP for this area. The vote on the motion presented by Sumar will reflect the parliamentary weakness of the executive in light of the new geopolitical scenario marked by the crisis in Ukraine. The BNG advocates for the dissolution of NATO and the pursuit of peace through dialogue and negotiation.
